Circular loom for weaving



Feb. 5, 1935. w A D|K|E A CIRCULAR LOOM FOR WEAVING 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 30, 1931 .WILLIAM A. DICKIE FRANK c HALE Inv e I S W M Feb. 5, 1935. w. A. DICKIE ET'AL CIRCULAR LOOM FOR WEAVING Filed ov i er;

FRANK c.

Feb. 5, 1935. w. A. DICKIE ET AL 1,990,064

CIRCULAR LOO M FOR WEAVING Filed NOV. 30, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 m -IAM- A. "DICK-IE- mm c. HALE v Inventors 5 damaging the warp threads is avoided: A

Patented Feb. 1935 Spondon, near. Derby, England, assignors to Celanese Corporation of America, a, corporation of Delaware I Application November 30, 1931, Serial'No. 578,002

In Great Britain DecemberZO, 1930 1's Glaiinsf 01. 139-13) This invention relates to circular looms for the weaving of fabrics, and consists principally in an improved method of propelling the weft. carrier or carriers in such looms whereby danger 0 According to the invention, a circular loo comprises a shuttle race, a weft carrier, and means for applying an intermittent effort or impulse to the weft carrier to carry it round the'race and through the warp shed. .Byapplying the in-. termittent effort for propelling the Weft carrier at a gap in the warp threads, the propelling member can engage the carrier without any warp y threads being interposed, the carrier then enter ing the shed and proceeding under'its momentum.

Any suitable means may be employed to'impart propelling impulses to the weft carrier. For'ex-' ample, the carrier may be propelled mechanically, as by means of a rotating wheel'adapted to make contact with the carrier as it passes a gap in the warp threads. Again, the carrier may .be' propelled by a member, e. g. adisc or segmentof a disc or a curved bar, which acts on the weft carrier in a similar manner to the'rotating wheel, but instead of making a continuousrotation, is, oscillated to contact with the carrier and propel it forward. Such a member is'suitably pivoted so that it can be brought into frictional contact with the carrier at a suiiicient velocity to propel the carrier through the'shed. The rotating wheel or oscillating member may operate from any side of the shuttle race; it is convenient to arrange it below the shuttle race for engagement withithe shuttle bottom when the loom is intended to weave upwardly.

In co-operation with the shuttle propelling means, checking means may also be employed, such as a pivoted lever or shoe adapted toengage with the carrier as it reaches a gap in thewarp threads, and to cause it to be nipped by the propelling means, and then released suddenly. 1 Such checkingmeans may be spring loaded, and released by a trip device, which may itself be controlled by the arrival of the carrier at the gap in the warp threads, or alternatively the checking device may be independently operated by a suitable cam mechanism. Instead of using a check device, a second propelling device may be employed on the opposite side of theshuttle' to the first, the shuttle being nipped between thetwo propelling devices and propelled by both in the same direction.

One gap only may be provided in the warps at the periphery of the loom, the propelling means then imparting asuificient impulse, to the carrier to cause it to make a fullci'rcuit of the warps, and returnto the gapl': There may, how ever, particularly in the caseiof looms of large diameter, be two or more gaps, .and these gaps may be arranged at equali'orunequal distances apart,;according to the widths of the cloth it is desired to weave. There may be two or more weft carriers roundthe periphery ofa loom having two. or more impulse imparting mechanisms.

The weft carriers which are propelled round the'shed may-beef theynature' of an ordinary shuttle containing a pirn or other package of weft which is laid in "the; shed :by the motion of the shuttle through the shed, or alternatively weft carriers of the dummy shuttle type may be em-' ployed, adapted to-introduce weft from a stationary' supply 'outside the weft shed. The latter arrangement is described in detail and claimed in application 'Ser. No. 578,003 filed November 30,

The shedding :and beat-up mechanism of the loom may be; of any suitable type, arranged in such away asto be actuated in accordance with the operation of. the shuttle'propelling mechanism, and" adapted to provide an open shed in advanceof the weftcarrier, and to beat up the weft after thepassage oftheaweft carrier. The beat-up is. convenientlyieffected in sections. For example, the reedmay be made insections ex tending betweenthe warpgaps'each section then mcvingthe beat-up position after passage of a shuttle or carrier through the section, A warp let-off and a'fabric take-,up motion are provided on the, loom, each motion being controlled in accordance with the rate of laying of the weft, for example fromthe shuttle propelling mechanism. The timing of the-loom may be effected by providing fora sequence of operations, which are set in train by the arrival of the weft carrier at a gap in the warps. Thus'for example, on arrivalof theweftcarrier, beat-up may take place in the shed which the shuttle has just passed, and shedding may be eifected in theshed which the shuttle'is aboutto enter, after which the shuttle is propelled, the operation being repeated on the arrival of a shuttle at the next gap in the warps,

or on its return'to the same gap if onlyone is provided. Alternatively'the timing may be effected by means of a cam mechanism, working at constant speed irrespective of the shuttle, sufficient time being allowed, however, for the shuttle to pass from one picking position tothe next between successive repeats of the timing sequence. In the first of these cases, the time' taken for a sequence of operation is equal to the time taken for the shuttle to pass through the shed, plus the timetaken for the operation of beat-up and sheddingto take place.- In the second case the time taken is always constant, but is so calculated that theshuttle on arriving at the gap in the warps doesnot long remain therebefore being propelled again through the next shed. 1 A weft feeler mechanism'may-be provided a a* point or points round the periphery of the loom or; in thegap or gaps in the warp threads, in order to stop the loom on breakage or on exhaustion of the weft supply. Thus, the weft may be carried past a weft fork or similar device adapted to detect slackness or absence of weft, and to operate a stop motion of a type similar to that employed in ordinary looms.

The invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, but it is to be understood that this description is given by way of example only, and is in no way limitative.

Figure 1 is a sectional elevation and Figure 2 a part plan of a loom in accordance with the invention;

Figure 3 is a plan and Figure 4 a front elevation of a weft-carrying shuttle for use in the loom;

Figures 5 and 6 are a' side elevation in section and a plan view respectively of the shuttle-propelling means;

Figures 7 and 8 show details of the mechanism illustrated in Figures 5 and 6.

Referring to Figures land 2, the warp threads are taken from a beam 21 provided with a brake band 22 which is held in tension by means of a spring 23 and a wing nut 24. The threads 20 leaving the beam 21 are threaded through a spacing comb 25 carried on the frame 26 of the machine, and pass thence over lease rods 27 to the healds 28, 29 by means of which they are formed into a shed. The threads then pass through the reed 30 which forms a shuttle race, and the fabric 31 formed in the loom passes over a spreading ring 32 to a take-up roller 33.

The healds 28, '29 pass over rods 34 carried from the outer pillars 35 of the loom. The healds are loaded with weights 36, 3'7 and spaced by means of reeds 38." Each heald or each set of,

say four,healds is attached to a member 39 or 40 driven to produce shedding of the warps 20 by means of cams-41, 42 mounted on a cam plate 43. The cam plate 43 is in the form of an annular plate, and carries an annular gear 44 on its inner edge so that the cam plate 43 can be driven by means of a gear 45 carried on the main shaft 46 of the loom. The cam plate 43 is carried on the frame 26 of the loom by means of ball bearings'47, and is provided with a cover plate 48 held down by studs 49.

The main shaft 46 also carries a small pinion 50 meshing with a gear 51 mounted loosely on the central stationary column 52 of the loom, and a second gear 53 attached to the gear 51 drives the take-up roller 33 through a chain of gears 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, so that the take-up is effected as fast as the fabric is produced.

As shown in Figure 2, the loom is made in four sections having gaps 61 between the sections, through which gaps the shuttle is intermittently driven, in a manner hereinafter to be described. The reed 30 is in sections, separated by the gaps 61, and after the passage of the shuttle through each section, the reed is lifted to beat the weft just laid into the cloth. For this purpose the reed 30 slides on vertical rods 62 and carries vertical racks 63 engaging with racks 64 carried on levers 65 which are pivoted at 66 near the central column 52 of the loom. Since the twolevers 65 have to be actuated simultaneously in order to keep the reed 30 level during beat-up, they are actuated by separate cams '70, '71 mounted on cam plate 43 and working on the levers 65 through suitable levers and links 72, 73, 74, '75 pivoted at '78 and '79. The levers 73 and '74 are provided with followers 76, '77 and arepiw oted at 78, '79. ,The members 77, 74, [75 and 78 actually lie in front of the plane of Figure 1 and so are shown in dotted lines. The pivot points 66 and 78 are carried on a spider, whose boss 78 surrounds the shaft 52, and whose rim 79 is provided with studs 49 screwed into and holding down the cover plate 48.

Figures 3 and 4 are a plan and a front elevation of a weft carrying shuttle for the purpose of the invention. The shuttle 80 is curved in shape to fit the shuttle race and the reed 30, and is provided with a recess 81 containing a pirn 82. The thread 83 leaving the end of the pirn is slipped down a slot 84 into a shuttle eye 85, through which it is drawn out as the shuttle passes round the shuttle race. In order that the shuttle may, run smoothly round the race, runners 86 are provided along the length of the shuttle on the bottom and outside faces. As shown in Figure 1, the reed 30 is provided with L-shaped dents, the runners 86 along the outer side of the shuttle bearing against the vertical limbs of the dents, while the outer sheet of warps, which pass above the shuttle between the vertical limbs of the dents are protected from rubbing. A strip 87 of frictional material, such as ordinary brake lining, is provided in the bottom of the shuttle for engagement with the weft propelling means, and a slot 88 is provided on the inner side of the shuttle for engagement with checking mechanism.

Figures 5 to 8 illustrate the means according to the invention for driving the shuttle round the loom. At the end of its travel through the shed, the shuttle 80 enters a shuttle box 91, and is there brought to rest by means of a check member 92 having a projecting tooth 93 engaging with the slot 88 on the inner side of the shuttle. The check member 92 is pivoted at 94, and is brought into checking positionby means of a lever 95 pivoted to it at 96. The lever 95 is operated by means of a bell crank lever'97 and a plunger 98, through a cam 99, which is carried in a cam groove on the cam plate 43, a follower 101 being provided at the lower end of the plunger 98 to engage with the cam 99. The bell crank lever 97 and the plunger 98 are carried by a bracket 102 mounted on the top plate 48 of the cam plate 43.

Figure '7 shows a section through the toothed end of the check member 92, and through the shuttle and shuttle box, clearly showing how the tooth 93 of the member 92 enters through a slot 106 in the side of the shuttle box 91 to'check the shuttle as it enters the shuttlebox.

After coming to rest, the shuttle is driven forward through the next section of the reed by means of a friction wheel 110 working through a slot 111 in the bottom of the shuttle box 91 and acting on the bottom of the shuttle. The friction wheel 110 is constantly driven by means of pulleys 112, 113 and a belt 114 from a large pulley 115 carried in a bearing 116 attached to the frame 26 of the loom, and driven by means of a gear 117 meshing with the annular gear 44 on the inner edge of the cam plate 43. In order to produce an intermittent picking effect, the friction wheel 110 is raised into engagement with the shuttle, and for this purpose the pulleys 112, 113 are carried upon levers 120, 121 pivoted at 122 and operated through links 123, 124 and a plunger 125 from a cam 126 carried by the cam plate 43,

In the operation of the mechanism, after the shuttle 80 has been checked by the member 92 the cam 126 is timed to raise the friction wheel 110 into engagement with the shuttle, the raising of the friction wheel having also the effect of tightening the belt 114. Shortly after the engagement of the friction wheel 110 the check member 92 is withdrawn by a suitably timed drop in the cam 99 and the shuttle is driven through the next shed, to be checked in the next shuttle box by a further member 92, and so on. During the time that the shuttle is travelling through the shed, and while it is at rest in the shuttle box, beat-up and shedding take place in the sections of the warps adjacent to that occupied by the shuttle, through the cams 41, 42, 70 and '71 on the cam plate 43. All danger of mistiming the speed of the shuttle is avoided, the cams on the cam plate 43 being arranged so that propulsion of the shuttle, actuated by cams 99 and 126 cannot take place until shedding and beat-up have been efiected by the cams 41, 42, '70, '71. The speed of the cam plate 43 is, of course, such that the pause of the shuttle in the shuttle box is reduced to a minimum.

What we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:-

l. A circular loom comprising means for driv-- ing a weft-carrier round the loom, said means being adapted to make frictional contact with said Weft-carrier and to impart impulses thereto so that the said weft-carrier proceeds round the loom by virtue of its momentum.

2. A circular loom comprising a rotatable friction disc adapted to make driving contact with and to impart impulses to a weft-carrier so that the said weft-carrier proceeds round the loom by virtue of its momentum. p

3. A circular loom comprising a reed extending round the loom, a plurality of gaps being left in said reed, a plurality of rotatable discs adapted to contact in turn with a weft-carrier and to impart impulses thereto at said gaps so' as to cause said,

weft-carrier to proceed round the loom by virtue of its momentum.

4. A circular loom comprising means for driving a weft-carrier round the loom, said means being adapted to impart propelling impulses to said weft-carriers so that it proceeds round the loom by virtue ofits momentum, and means adapted to bring the Weft-carrier to rest before each propelling impulse.

5. A circular loom comprising means for driving a weft-carrier round the loom, said means being adapted to impart propelling impulses to said weft-carrier so that it proceeds round the loom by virtue of its momentum, means adapted to restrain motion of the weft-carrier and means adapted to release said restraining means from the weft-carrier after driving engagement of the weft-carrier propelling means has takenplace.

6. A circular loom comprising a reed formed as a number of sections round the loom, said sections being so spaced as to leave at least one gap in the reed, means adapted to make driving contact with and to impart propelling impulses to a weft-carrier at said gap, so as to cause said weft-carrier to proceed round the loom by virtue of its momentum, means adapted to restrain motion of said weft-carrier, means adapted to re lease said restrainingmeans from the weft-carrier after driving engagement of the carrier-propelling means has takenplace, means adapted to operate reed sections in turn to effect beat-up, and a rotatable cam ring, said rotatable cam ring being adapted to control the weft-carrier propelling means, the weft-carrier release mech anism and the reed.

7. A circular loom comprising a reed formed as a number of sections. round the loom, said sections being so spaced as to leave at least one gap in the reed, means adapted to make driving contact with and to impart propelling impulses to a weft-carrier at said gap, so as to cause said weft-carrier to proceed round the loom by virtue of its momentum, means adapted to restrain motion of said weft-carrier, means adapted to release said restraining means from the weft-carrier after driving engagement of the carrierpropelling means has taken place, means adapted to operate reed-sections in turn to effect beatup, means adapted to form a warp shed, and a rotatable cam ring, said rotatable cam ring being adapted to control the weft-carrier propelling means, the weft-carrier release mechanism, the reed, and the warp-shedding mechanism.

8. A circular loom comprising a reed forming a weft-carrier race extending round the loom, said reed having at least one gap therein, a weft-car I rier adapted to travel along said reed, and means disposed in the gap adapted to impart impulses to said weft-carrier so that the weft-carrier proceeds along said reed by virtue of its momentum.

9. A circular loom comprising a reed formed as a number of sections round the loom and adapted to act as a weft-carrier race, said sectionsv being spaced apart from each other, and means disposed between the sections adapted to impart impulses to a weft-carrier so as to cause said weft-carrier to proceed by virtue of its momentum along each section in turn.

10'; A circular loom comprising a reed formed as a number of sections round the loom and adapted to act as a weft-carrier race, said sections being spaced apart to leave gaps in the reed, means disposed at said gaps adapted to impart impulses to a weft-carrier so as to cause said weft-carrier toproceed along said reed by virtue of its momentum, and means adapted to operate the reed-section in turn to efiect beat-up.

11. A circular loom comprising a reed extending round the loom and forming a weft-carrier race, said reed having at least one gap therein, movable means disposed in the gap adapted to impart impulses to a weft-carrier so that the weft-carrier proceeds along said reed by virtue of its momentum, and means for bringing said movable means into contact with said weft-carmen 12. A circular loom comprising a reed extending round the loom and forming a weft-carrier race, said reed having at least one gap therein, means disposed in the gap adapted to impart impulses to a weft-carrier so as to cause said weft-carrier to proceed along said reed by virtue of its momentum, and cam means adapted to control the frequency of operation of the weft-carrier propelling means.

13. A circular loom comprising a reed extending round the loom and forming a weft-carrier race, said reed having at least one gap therein,

and means disposed in the gap adapted to make driving contact with the underside of a weft- 

